Opposing Conservative and Liberal Views: Energy Policy

Conservative (CON): Obama’s energy policy is fraught with weaknesses that will lead to its ineffectiveness. First, it is clear he is not supportive of nuclear energy. Why is he so dismissive of the success achieved by France? During the campaign; he did jump on the drilling for domestic oil bandwagon, but his support for drilling is conditional. It is unlikely that he will ease the environmental hurdles to drilling, and, without relief from the challenges of environmental lawyers, drilling for oil will not happen. Obama’s proposed windfall profits tax for big oil companies is sheer economic madness and futility. Businesses simply pass the taxes they pay on to their customers. Another weakness in Obama’s energy policy is his support for ethanol. To sum up, all these weaknesses do not generate any confidence that Obama will provide effective leadership in this area where leadership is desperately needed.

Liberal (LIB): Desperately needed leadership, to use your characterization of the solution to the energy problem, was not provided by Bush nor exhibited in McCain’s proposals. We can’t drill our way out of an oil shortage, we can merely postpone the day of reckoning. Obama will provide energy policy leadership for an across-the-board solution that tackles all the objections to alternative energy source development.

CON: The sad thing is that our national leadership has failed to provide leadership on energy for more than a generation. Ever since the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo, no one has stepped up to the plate. The reasons to drill for oil and gas now are to provide an energy bridge to the day when alternative power sources can take over and to reduce the amount of dollars we ship overseas to Saudi Arabia and others. Common sense tells you it’s a good thing to do. No one has ever said drilling was the final solution to our energy problems.

LIB: Hey, we've got a point of agreement here. 1973 was 35 years ago, which is almost two generations. The special interest group, big oil, has been complacent to import foreign oil, because it is more profitable. They also control the drilling. Do you suppose they will develop an energy policy that will create replacements for themselves? What I see coming from them is mostly lip-service and PR spin about how they are working for our future.

I see an analogy between big oil and the automakers, who didn't want to give up the gas guzzlers for gas savers, because the former are more profitable per unit than the latter. The foreign auto makers have almost replaced them, and unless the Big Three change their ways, they will be replaced. How long will it be until Big Oil is asking for a bail-out?

CON: For the most part, I blame the automakers for the failure to produce a car that is powered by something other than gasoline. They are the ones who should have been thinking long term and doing something to come up with the car of the future. Unfortunately, our corporate culture can’t think beyond the next quarter. Secondly, I blame our government for failing to push the automakers into doing the right thing, starting with Ford and continuing with Bush II. That is letting the oil companies off the hook. After all, they are suppliers of the type of energy currently in demand. When they see a bunch of cars fueled by electricity or hydrogen, the ball will be in their court and they will need to step up and meet that new demand.

LIB: You said that Obama was not supportive of nuclear energy for electric generation and asked why he was so dismissive of it. I believe he was hedging during a campaign, but will support it as part of an overall energy program. The experience with Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant here in Kansas has been good for an economical operation and for safety. It will be a challenge to resurrect nuclear energy after a long drought in construction of new facilities. The story will need to be told to reassure the public of its value. Disposal of spent fuel rods in an environmental sound way also must be addressed positively. As for ethanol, there are many sources. The research is still being conducted to develop a biofuel source that does not interfere with the food supply. I feel that with Obama as President we will develop an energy policy that will serve us well into the future.